House in Paço de Arcos by Jorge Mealha

Located at Alto do Lagoal in Paço de Arcos, a neighborhood of Lisbon facing the
sea, this house has been built on a sloping site and proposes as main strategy an
arrangement of several solids in order to attenuate the overall mass due to the
functional program requested by the client.

This arrangement of different solids and voids, uses large plain surfaces and
some in-between tensioned spaces to let light draw or reflect on the objects,
emphasizing geometry and proposing a changeable reading of form and space
during the day.

Some surfaces, covered by metal screening/shading devices, create large smooth
textured plans on two facades of the house hiding windows and enhancing form,
acting also as a kind of diaphragm device to filter the views between interior and
exterior. Also act as a passive sunshade control between internal and external
spaces.

Some circulations, as the staircase and main corridor are built in white painted
10mm metal sheet slightly detached from the walls, leaving opportunity for light,
caught by the long skylight to pass in between and spread to the lower floors.

In the interior, the walls main finish is plaster painted in white except in the
bathrooms where the walls are covered in white/grey natural striped marble.
The circulation areas floors, corridors and staircases are in plain or folded 10mm
thickness metal plates, painted with white mate epoxy enamel.